Denver Kisting
17 June 2011
Should multimillion-dollar graft accused Esmerelda Martina Majiedt be released on bail, she may be injured or killed by her alleged accomplices.
This would not only obstruct the ends of justice but completely defeat it as Majiedt allegedly was the lead actress in the alleged four-year corruption bonanza.
So the investigating officer, Justine Namukwambi, testified in the Windhoek Magistrate’s Court yesterday during Majiedt’s formal bail application.
Because Majiedt has relatives in neighbouring South Africa, she may also abscond once out of the Wanaheda Police cells, Namukwambi testified.
As Majiedt has already allegedly interfered with the probe by asking a former colleague to steal an AfriSam stamp and blank invoices in an alleged attempt to cover her tracks, she may do so again when freed on bail.
Majiedt was arrested by officials of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) on April 4 for allegedly defrauding AfriSam, her former employer, of more than N$71 million over a four-year period.
On Wednesday afternoon, Namukwambi testified that Majiedt allegedly moved stock on the system from one warehouse to another – for example, from a Windhoek warehouse to one in Rundu.
As a result of this fictitious movement, AfriSam’s accounting system created a freight charge that AfriSam would pay to a transport company to carry the goods from the one warehouse to the other.
Because the stock had not actually been moved physically, Majiedt allegedly allocated this freight credit to two Rundu businesses – Cool Properties and Discount Hardware – the ACC official testified.
This created the impression that these customers had credit to buy with. After the stock was released to them, Majiedt allegedly made the credit disappear back into the system, the court was told.
Yesterday, the investigating officer claimed the State had a strong case against Majiedt and that the accused had planned the alleged crime well. “This was a very well-organised crime.”
During cross-examination by Advocate Louis Botes, Namukwambi, at times, was less certain about her case.
Namukwambi said she was unaware that Majiedt had shared her password for AfriSam’s accounting system with colleagues.
Furthermore, Namukwambi could also not explain why AfriSam’s auditors did not pick up the alleged irregularities over four years.
Namukwambi admitted that Daniel de Jesus of Discount Hardware and brothers Gerhard and Calvyn Bezuidenhoudt of Cool Properties may have been in cahoots with Majiedt.
Majiedt allegedly disbursed cement valued at N$42 million to Discount Hardware and N$16 million’s cement to Cool Properties without AfriSam receiving a single penny despite claims by the Bezuidenhoudts and De Jesus that they paid bags of cash to Majiedt.
The difference between this total of N$58 million (N$42 million and N$16 million) consists of N$13 million worth of stock that Majiedt allegedly wrote off.
The probe has not yet shed any light about the details of the write-off.
Namukwambi told Botes that the investigation has not been completed when he asked why De Jesus and the Bezuidenhoudt brothers had not yet been arrested.
She admitted that she had no idea where De Jesus was at the moment.
In a surprise twist, Botes conceded that Majiedt had written off the stock. He, however, said there were “no ulterior motives” but that a board meeting about a merger between AfriSam and Ohorongo Cement had authorised her to do so.http://allafrica.com/stories/201106080261.html
This was apparently to reconcile the physical stock in the warehouses with the stock on the books.
Botes represents Majiedt on instruction of Bradley Basson, while Public Prosecutor Hans Thourob acts on behalf of the State.
The bail application before Magistrate Ruth Herunga is scheduled to continue today.
AllAfrica – All the Time
Taken from:
Namibia: Majiedt’s Life in Danger – Investigator